Raspberry Meltaway Cookies

by Janica Tanner

Meltaway Cookies

• 1 cup butter softened, 2 sticks
• ¾ cup cornstarch
• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 1 ½ tsp almond extract
• 1- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour**

Vanilla Glaze

• 1 ½ cups Powdered Sugar
• 3 TBSP butter
• 3 TBSP milk
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2-3 TBSP seedless red raspberry jam

Instructions

• Mix together butter and cornstarch until well combined. Add in powdered sugar and extract and mix until smooth. Add flour and mix until dough comes together and flour is all incorporated. Cover and refrigerate 10-15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Scoop out about 1/2 a tablespoonful of dough. (I use a small cookie scoop!)  Roll into a ball and lay on parchment on a cookie sheet. Lay cookie dough balls out 4 across in 5 rows, fitting about 20 cookies per sheet.
• Bake 9 minutes. Remove from oven and flatten the tops of each cookie by gently pressing down with the bottom of a glass. Let sit for 2 minutes before transferring parchment to a cooling rack.
• Whisk vanilla glaze ingredients until smooth and desired consistency is achieved. Let cool slightly before spooning onto cookies.
• Let cool about 10 minutes. Spoon glaze on top. Transfer jam to a small bag and cut the corner to pipe 4-5 small drops of jam on top of glaze on each cookie. Use a toothpick to swirl the jam and the glaze.
• Let cool to set. Store in an airtight container.

Gingerbread Cookies

 

by Janica Tanner

-6 Tbs vegetable shortening

-6 Tbs of butter, softened

-1 1/2 cup sugar

-1/2 cup molasses

-2 eggs, lightly beaten

-4 cups flour

-1/2 tsp salt

-3 tsp baking soda

-2 1/4 tsp ground ginger

-1 1/2 tsp ground cloves

-1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

-white chocolate to drizzle/dip

In large bowl, cream together shortening/butter and sugar until light colored and fluffy. Beat in molasses and eggs. Set mixture aside. In another bowl, combine flour, salt, soda, ginger, cloves, and cinnamon. Blend thoroughly with whisk. Gradually  mix flour mixture into creamed ingredients until blended and smooth. Roll dough into 1 1/2" balls. Roll in sugar. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Drizzle or dip in white chocolate. Makes about 3 dozen.

Rolo Cookies

 

by Amy Callahan

-1 box Devil's food cake mix

-2 eggs

-1/3 cup vegetable oil

-30 unwrapped Rolo candies (a few more or less depending on cookie size)

Combine cake mix, oil, and eggs; mix well. Form a piece of dough into a ball and place one Rolo in the center. Cover the Rolo completely. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake cookies for 8-9 minutes.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

 

by Amy Christensen

1 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

2 cups chopped peanut butter cups

In a large bowl, cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips and peanut butter cups. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2" apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes before moving to wire racks.

Candy Cane Cookies with Chocolate Mint

 

by Jen Hargraves

Ingredients

• 12 Tablespoons salted butter (1 ½ sticks) at room temperature
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, separated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups (260g) all purpose flour food scale recommended. Otherwise lightly spoon into measuring cup and level.
• ½ cup crushed peppermint candy canes
• 1 pinch salt
• 30-40 Junior Mint candies 1 of the large 3.5 oz boxes is usually perfect. I like to get a couple to be safe or make a double batch!

Additional Ingredients

• additional sugar, for rolling. About ½ cup

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. *It's important to use parchment. An unlined or foil-lined baking sheet will cause the cookies to stick.
• Using a stand mixer if you have one, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in egg yolk only (save white in a bowl) and vanilla.
• Add flour gradually, a little at a time, and mix on low until fully incorporated. It might take a minute or two.
• Mix in crushed candy canes and stir until incorporated.
• Add a pinch of salt to the reserved egg white. Using a fork or small whisk, beat well until very light and frothy. When you lift up your fork/whisk, the white should not be goopy and thick, it should be thin and liquid-y. Set out another bowl with about 1/2 cup additional sugar for rolling.
• Use a cookie scoop to scoop dough into 1 tablespoon portions. Use hands to roll into balls.
• Working with just a few at a time, dip* them into the egg white and use clean hands to make sure excess drips off and only a thin coating remains on dough. (*See notes below for some tips on this). Then roll the dough balls in sugar and place on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Tip: if your sugar starts to get clumpy, switch it out for fresh.
• Using a finger other than your thumb, make an indentation in the center of each cookie. Bake for about 9-10 minutes, until puffed and almost set. While cookies are baking, get your Jr. Mints ready- I like to pour them into a small bowl to make them easier to grab quickly.
• Working quickly to not lose too much heat, pull your pan out and place a single Junior mint on the indentation of each cookie and return pan to oven.
• Continue baking until set, about 1-2 minutes longer. Cookies should not brown on top, or really on the bottom, either. Once you make them you'll get a feel for what they look like when perfectly done! The edges will start to crackle just a bit and they won't appear "wet".
• Remove pan from oven and let cool for a few minutes before transferring cookies to a cooling rack.
• I prefer to let them cool completely before serving.

Notes

Rolling Tips:

The dough balls really only need a very light, but thorough coating of egg white. If you're heavy handed with the egg white, they'll still taste great but the egg/sugar coating will melt off and spread.  I've found 2 easy ways to do this. For both methods, it's important that your egg white is beaten very thoroughly. 1. Instead of rolling your dough in the egg white and trying to spoon it out, dip your fingers in the egg white and then gently roll the balls around in your hand before dropping them in the sugar. Another option is 2- Place all of your dough balls in a flat dish (like a 9x13 pan) and then pour your well-beaten egg white over the top and use your hand to lightly coat each one. Then take a few at a time, letting any excess egg white drip off first,  and transfer to your sugar bowl and then onto your baking sheet.

Thin Mint Cookies

by Jen Hargraves

-bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

-bag of Andes mint chips (you  must buy this brand! It works the very best!)

-Ritz crackers

-1 to 2 Tbs of butter flavored Crisco

Pour the bag of chocolate chips and Andes mint chips into a microwave safe bowl and put Crisco on top.  Microwave for 1 minute and stir. If chocolate chips are not melted all the way, put in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until the chips are all melted and smooth.

Dip each Ritz cracker into the chocolate and put on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Once all done, put somewhere cool to make the chocolate harden.

 

 by Jen Hargraves

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup butter at room temperature

1 egg

3 Tbs molasses

2 cups flour, sifted

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream 1 cup sugar with butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs and molasses. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and spices. Add to butter mixture and blend well. Fill a shallow bowl with sugar. Break off walnut-sized pieces of dough and roll into balls. Roll balls in sugar. Arrange on greased cookie sheets and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer to cooling racks. Meanwhile, make glaze. Combine powdered sugar with 1 Tbs water and stir until smooth, then stir in lemon juice. Drizzle glaze over cookies.